Champions League 2011 ready reckoner
Answers to who's playing, what's the format and other basic questions about the Champions League Twenty20 2011
ESPNcricinfo staff
18-Sep-2011
Kieron Pollard was eligible to play for three teams, but chose Mumbai Indians over South Australia and Somerset • AFP
The format
One of the problems with the Champions League 2010 was that the teams from Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies struggled to match up to the levels of the rest of the field. In an attempt to increase the commercial viability of the tournament, the 2011 event will have a qualifier round involving teams from these countries, the top two county sides, and the fourth-ranked IPL team. The teams participating in the qualifier round are:
- Trinidad & Tobago from West Indies
- Ruhuna from Sri Lanka
- Auckland from New Zealand
- Kolkata Knight Riders from India
- Somerset and Leicestershire from England
The top three teams from the qualifier round will compete in the main draw that will also include:
- Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore from India
- New South Wales and South Australia from Australia
- Cape Cobras and Warriors from South Africa
The ten teams in the main draw will be split into two groups of five each, with the top two from each group contesting the semi-finals. For a full list of fixtures, click here.
The prize money
Winning team - $2,500,000
Losing finalist - $1,300,000
Losing semifinalists - $500,000 each
Teams finishing fifth to 10th - $200,000 each
Players eligible for more than one team:
Since the event features franchise-based clubs unconstrained by national boundaries, there are instances of a player having to choose between two or more sides. For the 2011 season, the following players faced overlaps, and each chose to play for their IPL teams:
- Kieron Pollard (Mumbai, South Australia, Somerset)
- Suraj Randiv (Chennai, Ruhuna)
- Doug Bollinger (Chennai, New South Wales)
- Aiden Blizzard (Mumbai, South Australia)
- Brett Lee (Kolkata, New South Wales)
- Brad Haddin (Kolkata, New South Wales)
- Davy Jacobs (Mumbai, Warriors)
If a player is selected to play for an 'away' team rather than his 'home' team (the team from the country he is eligible to represent in international cricket), the 'away' team must pay $150,000 as a release fee to the 'home' team. 'Away' teams are not eligible for compensation if a player chooses to play for his 'home' team.